The Moment
by Oneturtledove
Summary: Through the eyes of an observer, the most beautiful of secrets are revealed.


Disclaimer: Not mine.

Spoilers: None. Can be placed just about anywhere in the series.

A/N: Love. Sermons on love. Kinsman redeemers and goels and levirates. All of those produced this. Yes, it is all dialogue, first person, not from Mulder or Scully. But it's all about them and I really love it. Enjoy.

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It's not very often that I get to see my children. They are always off doing their jobs or raising their families, whatever the case may be, and our schedules never seem to line up. Charles was in town for a few days and Dana offered to have dinner at her apartment, and I couldn't pass up the chance to have dinner with two of my kids. Of course, Fox Mulder would be in attendance as well, which made it more like having dinner with three of my kids.

Dana and Charles spent the entire meal giggling and bickering over childhood stories, with Dana turning red several times and asking Fox to never mention what he had just heard. He nodded, but had a glint in his eye that meant trouble.

The TV was on to catch the tail end of a football game that Charles wanted to see, and he was staring intently at the screen, the same way his father would when Peggy Flemming came on. I never appreciated that much, but now it made me laugh. Dana was sitting on the couch with her feet propped up on the coffee table, making snide comments to Charles, who shushed her and slapped her leg. She chuckled and stood up, headed for the kitchen where Fox was cleaning up. I let my eyes follow her across the carpet and linoleum to join him at the counter where he was starting a pot of coffee.

Her fingers circled around his wrist and she tugged on his arm until he draped it across her shoulders. They smiled at each other and he drew her a little closer. I've always thought that they fit well together, but it wasn't until this moment that I saw it literally. Her head rested right next to his heart and he seemed to stand taller when she was by his side. He looked down at her with such adoration I was almost startled. She looked back at him with just as much and I couldn't believe such love was being played out so obviously before me. They held the gaze for another moment, and when his lips came down on her forehead and she closed her eyes in contentment, I felt as if I was intruding on the most intimate of moments. I had never seen suc a giving forth of hearts displayed in quite an easy manner. It's almost as if this is what they were created to do. They stood connected like that for a moment before pulling away. He brushed his fingers across her cheek and for a moment I was reminded of the scene in _Gone With The Wind_ when Rhett tells Scarlett that he could squeeze her head right between his hands. Fox could do that to Dana, but he never would. The tenderness with which he was touching her now was a far cry from even a possessive touch. But I knew he had her, lock, stock, and barrel. My daughter was never a goner for anyone or anything until this man came around. It didn't take him long to win her trust or her heart, and I knew he'd never lose it.

She stretched up to whisper something in his ear and for just a moment I wondered if there was more going on between them than friendship. But friendship, relationship, partners, lovers, none of it even came close to what they were. Soulmates even seems a trite way to describe it. They just are. It still baffles me, even though I have seen it from the beginning. They love intensely, fight intensely, talk intensely, listen intensely. He finds his world in her eyes, and her smile is never richer than when she is with him. They complete each other. They make each other better. They challenge, support, encourage and value. I look at them and see a love that I didn't even know existed. My husband and I had loved, so much that it still makes my chest constrict. But this love, I know little about.

I watched as he turned slightly and wrapped both arms around her waist, resting his chin atop her head. He dwarfed her in size, and at first I likened him to her protector. But then I saw the way she held fiercely to him, and I realized that this seemingly innocent hug spoke volumes about their relationship. He was a protector, but he couldn't fulfill that role without her. She protected him just as much, keeping an eye out for harm, pulling him back from the brink, keeping him grounded. And they protected each other's hearts in an almost frantic way.

He pressed another kiss to her forehead and she patted his chest gently before they pulled apart, as if the entire episode had never happened. I could tell by the way they looked at each other, that it was ingrained in their minds forever. Whether it was because something important had transpired, or because it was a rarity, I don't know. But that doesn't seem to matter as I watch them communicate in their special silent language and prepare four mugs of coffee. Their movements were fluid as they worked and I was so mesmerized by it, I almost didn't notice them turn around. I snapped back to reality and the moment was gone, but I knew it would be back. By the looks in their eyes, oh yes. It would be back.


End file.
